Wireless communications (mobile communications) enable users to perform a variety of tasks using their mobile devices. An ever increasing number of applications is available for the wireless data processing systems, wireless data communication devices, or wireless computing platforms (collectively and interchangeably referred to herein as “mobile device” or “mobile devices”). For example, many mobile devices not only allow the users to make voice calls, but also exchange emails and messages, access remote data processing systems, determine a user's location or activity, communicate with other mobile devices or data processing systems, or perform web-based interactions and other transactions.
Wearable devices are a category of mobile devices. A wearable device is essentially a mobile device, but has a form-factor that is suitable for wearing the device on a user's person. A user can wear such a device as an article of clothing, clothing or fashion accessory, jewelry, a prosthetic or aiding apparatus, an item in an ensemble carried by or with a person, an article or gadget for convenience, and the like. Some examples of presently available wearable devices include, but are not limited to, smart watches, interactive eyewear, devices embedded in footwear, devices wearable as rings or pendants, and pedometers and other clip-ons.
Some wearable devices are independent wearable devices in that they can operate as stand-alone mobile devices. Such a wearable device either includes some or all the capabilities of a mobile device described above or does not need or use the capabilities of a mobile device described above.
Other wearable devices are dependent wearable devices in that they operate in conjunction with a mobile device. Such a wearable device performs certain functions while in communication with a mobile device described above.
Hereinafter, any reference to a mobile device, or simply “device”, is intended to be inclusive of a mobile device of any kind that is capable of data communications, a wearable device that is capable of data communications—in a dependent or independent manner, or some combination thereof. Hereinafter, any reference to a wearable device, or simply a “wearable” or “wearables”, is intended to be inclusive of a mobile device of any kind that is capable of data communications, a wearable device that is capable of data communications—in a dependent or independent manner, or some combination thereof.
A variety of wireless protocols enable communications to and from the mobile devices. For example, wireless standards such as Fourth Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) allow data communication as well as voice communication on mobile devices. Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE protocols allow short-range device-to-device or device-to-data processing system communications.